10 Social Media Marketing Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Now

Posted by AIMG Marketing | August 2, 2017August 7, 2017

Social media is an indispensable part of an online marketing strategy. For all the great things it can do, however, there are also some drawbacks: Mainly, there are so many ways to do the wrong thing! Even the best brands make a social media marketing mistake now and then.

The ten biggest social media marketing mistakes around are:

1 Not Having a Strategy

To get value from social media, you have to have a plan. This includes what platforms to use, which user segments to target, and how to use your social power to amplify content marketing.

2 Not Knowing Your Audience

To maximize your impact, you have to know what kind of content is most interesting to your audience. That means knowing where they are, who they are, and what burning questions they have.

3 Not Being Consistent

Starting a social media account is only the beginning. Social media is a treadmill, and you need to keep moving to reach your goals. That means posting at least daily – often much more.

4 Not Being Responsive

If you’re lucky, people will eventually start using your hashtags and responding to your posts. Reward them for it with personal attention, the most powerful positive reinforcement on social.

5 Not Adding Value

There are dozens of ways a social media account can turn into hot air. To avoid them all, keep your customer firmly in mind. What do they get from your latest post? Why should they care?

6 Being Too Promotional

Experts have often compared social media to a bank account: You have to put value in to get value out. For every time you promote yourself, be sure you’re providing real value ten times.

7 Being Too Corporate

Some companies have built an amazing following by “personifying” their brand, but for the most part, people want to talk to other people. Keep stuffy lingo and high-flown language out of it.

8 Spamming

Consistent activity attracts others, but you can cross the line – even if you’re adding value with every post. Find the sweet spot of activity for each platform and try to follow it closely.

9 Automating Too Much

Bad automation can turn any account into a laughingstock by omitting important content or pushing messages onto the wrong feed. Be sure to check even your automated postings daily.

10 Forgetting to Track Analytics

Analytics data is essential to success in everything related to online marketing. Your social analytics tell you which content resonates, the best time to post, and which platform offers you true ROI.

Whether this list gives you a sense of satisfaction or dread, remember: It’s never too late to improve your social media – and the effort is worth it!